Jesus og de 12 apostle: Peter 1566 - 1654

This drawing of St. Peter comes to us from the hand of Matthäus Gundelach, a German artist working around the turn of the 17th century. Here, the apostle is rendered in pen and brown ink, with a grey wash. As a historical figure, Peter's association with the keys to Heaven has long made him the symbolic gatekeeper of the Catholic Church. The keys he holds here were often deployed as emblems of papal authority, particularly during the Counter-Reformation, the period in which this drawing was made. The bare feet suggest humility, but the book and keys suggest authority. Gundelach was employed by the court of Bavaria, a key territory in the religious wars of the 1600s. The art produced for these courts became central to the assertion of power. Investigating sources from the time, like court documents or religious pamphlets, helps us understand the public role of such imagery.